Dancing Rain sells for 4 million guineas

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

DECEMBER 3, 2013

Dancing Rain sells for 4 million guineas

by Emma Berry and Kelsey Riley

In front of a ring packed to bursting point, the dual classic winner Dancing

Rain (Danehill Dancer) became the 4 million-guineas topper of the first session

of the Tattersalls December Mares' Sale, and will join Sheikh Mohammed's

broodmare band after being bought with a single bid from Darley supremo John

Ferguson.

Despite the crush of onlookers, only the sound of the Oaks (Eng-G1) winner's

hooves could be heard above the hushed solicitation of auctioneer Edmond Mahony

as he challenged the crowd for an opening bid for Lot No. 1533. Grant

Pritchard-Gordon obliged at 2 million guineas, with David Minton and Pinar Araci

quickly joining the fray. Araci, taking telephone instruction and sitting with

Rob Speers, appeared to have won the day until Ferguson emerged in his favored

spot in the gangway to land the deciding play.

"We haven't bought mares at public auction for a while, but at the end of the

day, Sheikh Mohammed felt that this was one that ridiculous expression that

ticks all the boxes," said Ferguson of the Clairemont Stud-consigned mare who

the first in the United Kingdom to be offered in foal to Frankel.

The first-day appearance of Dancing Rain -- who, at 4 milllion guineas,

became the second-highest broodmare ever sold in Europe behind Magical Romance

at 4.6 million guineas - -created a 64 percent rise in the turnover of

18,693,000gns. With 203 of the 246 lots offered sold for a 2 percent climb in

clearance rate to 83 percent, the median and average were also boosted

significantly, the former to 42,000gns (+40 percent) and the average to a

whopping 92,084gns (+51 percent).

Ferguson continued: "When you've got an Oaks winner who is beautiful and who

is from the family of a Derby (Eng-G1) winner, you've got an enormous amount

going for you. This is a game whereby all you're trying to do is reduce the odds

and give yourself every chance of winning classic races and winning the Derby.

By buying a mare like that, whether it be through her or one of her daughters,

you are just reducing the odds -- you're making it more possible than if you

don't buy her.

"And for an operation like ours, you can have lots of mares, but you have to

have the jewels. To Sheikh Mohammed, she was a jewel.

"I have to say that obviously on paper she looked the part, but I just loved

two things about her: the fact that she's such a beautiful, straightforward

mare, and secondly, I was lucky enough to have dinner with William and Maureen

Haggas on Saturday night, and they were telling me what a pleasure she was to

train. So you're dealing with a straightforward mare who is a classic winner,

from a family of a Derby winner, and of course she's in foal to Frankel. That's

obviously an attractive covering."

For all involved at Clairemont Stud, which is owned in partnership by Dancing

Rain's owners Martin and Lee Taylor with Liam and Jenny Norris, the great mare

has provided plenty of memorable moments. Her star turn in the ring is just the

latest, to add to a first classic success at Epsom, followed by a German Oaks

(Ger-G1) victory and a leading role on the inaugural British Champions' Day.

Parting with her was never going to be easy, as was evident in the emotion in

the voice of Liam Norris, who first set eyes on her as a yearling at Goffs,

where the relation of Derby winner Dr Devious and Group 1 heroine Maybe was

purchased for €200,000.

"What can I say really? Having bought her as a yearling and then brought her

here today with all these people, it's quite a lot to take in," he said. "I love

her to bits, she's a queen, and Jenny has just done a wonderful job with her.

She's a beautiful mare and she'll have a great home. I don't suppose we'll ever

experience anything like this again."

The Niarchos family announced Sunday the retirement of their Prix d'Ispahan

(Fr-G1) and Prix du Moulin (Fr-G1) winner Maxios to Andreas Jacobs's Gestut

Fahrhof in Germany for next season, and they wasted no time recruiting a

high-profile future mate for the five-year-old when making the winning bid of

960,000gns for Group 2 winner Fiesolana (Aussie Rules) (Lot 1543) at Tattersalls

Monday night.

"She's a lovely filly and a tough racemare, and will have a long-term date

with Maxios," confirmed Alan Cooper, racing manager to the Niarchos family's

Flaxman Holdings.

Purchased for a mere €35,000 by Italian

agent Federico Barberini at Goresbridge in Ireland in May 2011, Fiesolana began

her career in Italy, breaking her maiden in Naples before relocating to France

the following season. A conditions winner in that country for trainer

Jean-Claude Rouget, she came to life this year when transplanted to Ireland,

winning the Ballyogan S. (Ire-G3) for Willie McCreery in June before adding the

Brownstown S. (Ire-G3) at Fairyhouse two weeks later. She took Tipperary's Fairy

Bridge S. (Ire-G3) in August before collecting a career high in Newmarket's

Challenge S. (Eng-G2) October 12.

Cooper noted that the mare could race on before being bred.

"We're going to think about that, it's not impossible," he said. "We've been

watching her throughout the year. I watched the (Challenge), and she had a lot

of guts and determination, and the team here liked her very much. She's a lovely

filly."

Fiesolana has the page to match her rising reputation on the track, being a

half-sister to Honeymoon (G2) and Premio Dormello (Ity-G3) winner Innit

(Distinctly North).

The demand for mares carrying the first crop of Frankel continued just four

lots after Dancing Rain lit up the board when Lot 1537, the four-year-old Drops

((Kingmambo) was hammered down to Silfield Bloodstock's Charlie Mason for

750,000gns. The first foal from the champion European three-year-old filly and

triple Oaks victress Alexandrova (Ire), Drops, from the draft of the

Castlebridge Consignment, was the only other mare of the session offered in foal

to the dual Cartier Horse of the Year. Eight others will be offered throughout

the week.

"She was bought for an existing client of mine, and she'll be staying in

England," Mason said. "She has one or two mares with me at the moment, and

horses in training with various trainers, and she deserves a lot of success. I

hope this mare will be part of it."

Mason noted that the Frankel covering played a big part in the decision to

buy the mare, and that the resulting foal, regardless of gender, will be

retained by the new owner to race.

"If his foals are half as good as he was, we'll be laughing," he said.

While Drops went winless in four outings in the Derrick Smith, Mrs. John

Magnier and Michael Tabor silks placing third in her final start at Ballinrobe

last July, her pedigree well warrants a shot in the breeding shed. Also

featuring on her page is Magical Romance (Barathea), Alexandrova's Cheveley Park

S. (Eng-G1)-winning half-sister whose 4.6-million gns winning bid at this sale

in 2006 stands as a European record for a broodmare; and Chicquita (Montjeu),

this year's Irish Oaks (Ire-G1) winner who set Goffs alight last week when

selling for an Irish record of €6 million.

Imad al Sagar and Saleh al Homaizi have been steadily gathering a decent

array of broodmares for their recently purchased Blue Diamond Stud, and the

former owners of Derby winner Authorized struck twice on Monday. Top of the list

was Group 3 winner Lady Wingshot (Lawman) (Lot 1538), a three-parts sister to

listed-winning sprinter Bahama Mama (Invincible Spirit), who was hammered down

at 650,000gns.

"She's a very good filly, a proven performer, with excellent conformation and

very balanced. We think Lawman is a real up-and-coming sire," said al Sagar, who

was at the sale with advisor Tony Nerses.

Their fondness for Lawman was also evident in the purchase of Ellbeedee (Dalakhani)

(Lot 1515), who was sold in foal to the Ballylinch sire for 220,000gns.

Al Sagar added: "It's a cross we like -- she has a lovely page and is a

lovely individual. Let's hope she will pass that on to her progeny."

Lawman has worked well with the family before. His classic-winning daughter

Just the Judge is out of a daughter of Ellbeedee's half-sister Uncharted Haven

(Turtle Island).

While the Parks Paddocks pavilion had largely emptied after the buzz of a few

hours earlier, Atalanta S. (Eng-G3) winner Ladys First (Dutch Art) set the sale

alive again late in the session when notching the co-fourth highest price of the

day when knocked down to Blandford Bloodstock for 650,000gns.

A 16,000gns weanling at this venue four years ago, Ladys First was picked up

by Helen and Norman Steel the following year at Goffs September, and was raced

by that pair, under the care of trainer Richard Fahey, to a pair of black-type

victories, highlighted by her Atalanta win in August. Ladys First also finished

second to Duntle (Danehill Dancer) in the Duke of Cambridge S. (Eng-G2) at Royal

Ascot. She was offered as Lot 1575 by Fahey's Musley Bank Stables as the

property of Helen Steel.

"We thought she was the best physical of the fillies off the track today,"

said Blandford Bloodstock's Tom Goff, who declined to say who the mare was

purchased for. "She's an absolute queen; she's just a lovely filly. She's a nice

mixture of Dutch Art and Danehill, and she has a nice back pedigree. She's just

a beautiful physical specimen with poise, quality, action, and she's very

correct."

The first foal out of the winning Like a Dame (Danehill), Ladys First is from

the family of multiple French group winner Animatrice. Goff noted that the

four-year-old was "almost certain" to go to stud in Ireland next year, but said

the decision had not yet been confirmed.

Lady Eclair (Danehill Dancer), the sole offering from Goldford Stud on behalf

of Martin Lightbody's Netherfield House Stud, was the first to breach the

half-million-mark when knocked down for 525,000gns to John Warren, buying on

behalf of Newsells Park Stud.

In her racing days, Lady Eclair (Lot 1407) was talented enough to beat

globetrotter Red Cadeaux by a neck when winning the listed Chester Handicap.

Sold carrying her third foal by Henrythenavigator, her offspring have already

proved popular at this sale, with her Canford Cliffs filly foal selling for

180,000gns in the same ring just last week, while last year's foal, a filly by

Dubawi, was sold for 150,000gns.

"I liked her foal last week," said Warren. "She was a tough, sound mare and

there's great depth to the family."

Lady Eclair's dam Bex (Explodent) and grandam Bay Street (Grundy) are both

Group 3 winners, while her full sister Savethisdanceforme is also a listed

winner. Other half-siblings include French Group 2 winner Crimson Quest (Rainbow

Quest) and the listed-winning duo of Ballarat and Hijaz, both by Sadler's Wells.

As the ring started filling up ahead of the appearance of Dancing Rain,

Adrian Nicoll of BBA Ireland, buying for New Zealander Peter Vela, went to

475,000gns for four-year-old Highclere filly Forgive (Pivotal) (Lot 1523).

"She'll be staying here at New England Stud so she can go to a top commercial

stallion," Nicoll said. "It's a good, fast family -- we thought she might make

400,000gns."

John Deer has been shopping for mares to send to his homebred Al Kazeem, who

is about to stand his first season at the Royal Studs, and he added an

attractive future mate to the list early on Monday morning when his stud manager

Tim Lane signed for Poplin (Medicean) (Lot 1318) at 320,000gns.

Bred, owned and trained by Luca and Sara Cumani, the five-year-old is a

descendant of the Fittocks Stud foundation mare Souk (Ahonoora), from a family

that constantly throws up plenty of good winners, including Chicquita.

"She has an amazing pedigree, her page speaks for itself really," said Lane

of the listed-placed Poplin. "She'll be going to Al Kazeem. Mr. Deer has eight

breeding rights to him, so we're buying one or two mares."

Patricia Boutin and Henri Bozo spent €550,000

on Group 1 winner Alpine Rose (Linamix) for Ecurie des Monceaux at Arqana in

2008, and the team has been handsomely rewarded by the mare's first two foals --

by Sea the Stars and Galileo -- selling as yearlings for 1.2 million and 1

million, respectively.

The duo struck for another member of the family at Tattersalls on Monday when

securing the Montjeu mare Silent Ninja (Lot 1391) for 115,000gns from

Kirtlington Stud's draft. Bred by Ben and Martyn Arbib, the five-year-old is out

of Alpine Rose's listed-winning sister Farfala.

New Zealand's Raffles Farm has been a regular buyer at the December Sale, and

manager Bruce Sherwin returned this year, with agent Guy Mulcaster, to snap up

Lot 1329, Stella Senza Cielo (Elusive City) for 100,000gns. The five-year-old's

year-younger half-brother is the Hong Kong-based Gold-Fun (Le Vie Dei Colori),

winner of the Jockey Club Mile (HK-G2) at Sha Tin on November 17 and a contender

for Sunday's Hong Kong Mile (HK-G1).

Their dam Goodwood March (Foxhound) is one of 10 mares in the catalog in foal

to Frankel, and sells Tuesday as Lot 1812. Offered by Houghton Bloodstock,

Stella Senza Cielo is in foal to Kyllachy.